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"He's a good guy," Decker agreed.
Decker looked like he wanted to say something else, but then he just picked up his soda and took another drink. When he lifted his gaze back to hers, something passed between them. She didn't understand it. Or maybe she just didn't want to understand it.
"Well," she said, a little too loudly. "I think it's time for ice cream."
"It's always time for ice cream." He took out his wallet. "And lunch is on me."
"We can split it."
"Don't worry. You'll be paying me plenty of money in the next few months."
She sighed at that reminder. "Okay, then. Thank you for lunch. I'll get the ice cream. Is there any other place you're interested in seeing while we're out?"
He hesitated. "I was thinking about the cabin we stayed in. I feel like my dad knew the person who lived there or who let us stay there. Maybe it was even a relative, but I'm not sure."
"Do you know the address?"
"No. But the backyard was on the lake."
"A lot of houses and cabins back onto the lake."
He thought for a moment. "There was a gas station two blocks away with bright red pumps. There was a black lab that used to lie next to the cash register."
"You're talking about Ernie's Gas," she said. "I know the station. It's been there for years. If the house is a few blocks away, we might be able to find it."
"Do you have time?"
She checked her watch. It was almost two. "I have about an hour before I pick up Leo."
"Then we better get going."
ChapterFive
Decker hadsecond thoughts about trying to find the vacation spot. He was definitely going against his father's directive to never look back, but when the gas station came into view, a surge of excitement ran through him. He recognized the red pumps immediately.
"That's it," he said, as Chloe slowed the car down. "That's where we'd go to get gas, and sometimes we'd just walk over to pick up snacks." He pointed to the street behind the station. "We would walk down that street."
"Let's check it out."
Chloe turned right at the corner, and as she drove down the street, he scanned the houses on the lakeside, looking for something familiar. He found it in a birdhouse hanging from a large tree. "Stop. That's it."
Chloe pulled over to the curb. "The one with the birdhouse?"
"The one next door," he said, his gaze moving to the one-story white house with the peeling paint. It looked weathered and sad. While it was early spring and most of the lawns hadn't yet come back from the winter, this particular yard felt abandoned.
"It doesn't look like anyone lives there," Chloe commented.
"No, it doesn't." He got out of the car, not completely sure why. He walked up to the front door and rang the bell. There was no answer.
Chloe had gotten out of the car and moved across the yard, a curious gleam in her eyes. "What are you doing, Decker?"
"Just looking around. I don't think anyone is home."
He headed through the side yard, where a gate was barely hanging on its hinges. When he reached the back of the house, he saw more neglect, but he also saw the lake, the shimmering blue water that took him way back in time. Memories suddenly washed over him.
"I want to go swimming, Daddy," Decker said, as he walked to the edge of the yard. There were a lot of weeds surrounding the path that led down to the beach, and he wanted to explore, but his dad kept arguing with the brown-haired lady, who had gone into the house to take a phone call.
"Maybe later," his dad said tensely.
